Birmingham City

Manager : Lee Clark Position last season: 21st Key man : Clayton Donaldson Title odds: 50-1 Chances : Birmingham avoided the humiliation of relegation by the slenderest of margins on the final day last season, prompting a wholesale clear-out by boss Lee Clark. Should key new signings Clayton Donaldson, Stephen Gleeson and Wes Thomas fail to fire, Blues fans will not waste time in heaping pressure on their under-fire manager.

Blackburn Rovers

Manager : Gary Bowyer Position last season: 8th Key man : Jordan Rhodes Title odds: 18-1 Chances : Gary Bowyer’s men ended last season with a goal glut during a 12-game unbeaten run and only narrowly missed out on the play-offs. Goal machine Jordan Rhodes has since delighted the supporters by signing a new contract and expectation will be high at Ewood Park, with promotion the clear aim.

Blackpool

Manager : Jose Riga Position last season: 20th Key man : David Perkins Title odds: 150-1 Chances : Jose Riga arrived at Bloomfield Road knowing he had only six professional players. Piecing a squad together, let alone attempting to build a team that could avoid a relegation scrap, has proved difficult. A disgruntled fanbase is prepared to erupt should Blackpool toil, as the bookmakers have predicted.

Bolton Wanderers

Manager : Dougie Freedman Position last season: 14th Key man : Jermaine Beckford Title odds: 20-1 Chances : Bolton have cleared the decks and tightened the purse strings as they cope with life in the second tier. Many supporters remain unconvinced by boss Dougie Freedman, who could well be needing to utilise the loan market to good effect once again this time around.

Bournemouth

Manager : Eddie Howe Position last season: 10th Key man : Eunan O'Kane Title odds: 20-1 Chances : Having roared up the division to threaten a play-off spot last season, this young and talented group will look to improve on a campaign to remember. A lot will depend on Callum Wilson’s ability to step into the shoes of Lewis Grabban, who enjoyed such a fruitful partnership with Yann Kermorgant last season.

(Image: Julian Finney)

Brentford

Manager : Mark Warburton Position last season: 2nd in League One Key man : Alan Judge Title odds: 33-1 Chances : The Bees are back in the second tier for the first time in 21 years and, having kept the bulk of their promotion-winning squad together, they should have little to fear. The West London derbies against Fulham this season will certainly be occasions for the supporters to relish.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Manager : Sami Hyypia Position last season: 6th Key man : David Stockdale Title odds: 20-1 Chances : Champions League winner Sami Hyypia has been billed as ‘the new Roy Hodgson’ by new signing Aaron Hughes, but faces a tough challenge on his managerial debut in England. The Seagulls have reached the play-offs in each of the last two seasons but a top-six finish this time around looks a big ask.

Cardiff City

Manager : Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Position last season: 20th in Premier League Key man : Federico Macheda Title odds: 7-1 Chances : If there is one thing the Champion- ship title favourites will not be short of, it is firepower. The goals should flow freely, with new signings Javi Guerra, Adam Le Fondre and Federico Macheda. If they can make their home a fortress, they should make an immediate return to the top flight.

Charlton Athletic

Manager : Bob Peeters Position last season: 18th Key man : Johnnie Jackson Title odds: 50-1 Chances : The Addicks narrowly avoided the drop last season and then promptly binned the manager who had saved them, while many of their better players have also departed during the upheaval. Once held up as the model of how to run a football club, Charlton now seems to be something of a disaster waiting to happen.

Derby County

Manager : Steve McClaren Position last season: 3rd Key man : Chris Martin Title odds: 8-1 Chances : After play-off final heartache last season, promotion will be the aim this time around for Steve McClaren’s men. However, Andre Wisdom, George Thorne and Patrick Bamford were pivotal to what Derby achieved in 2013/14 and, if they do not return on loan to help the cause, then replacements must be brought in.

Fulham

Manager : Felix Magath Position last season: 19th in the Premier League Key man : Ross McCormack Title odds: 9-1 Chances: Felix Magath has cleared the decks at the Cottage, with many of last year’s under-performers shown the door. The German has gambled £11million on Ross McCormack repeating last season’s goalscoring exploits. If he comes close, Fulham will be right up there.

Huddersfield Town

Manager : Mark Robins Position last season: 17th Key man : Nahki Wells Title odds: 50-1 Chances : Huddersfield have maintained steady improvement since winning promotion to the Championship in 2012, but chairman Dean Hoyle – renowned for his sensible stewardship – shares fans’ expectations that Town should make a bigger impact this time around and manager Mark Robins will target a play-off challenge.